A Year of Stabilization at the Office of Arts & Culture
Our 2024 holiday party, including some second floor neighbors from Station Space
2024 was all about stabilization for us at the Office of Arts & Culture. We added 12 new staff, and the membership of both the Seattle Arts Commission and the ARTS at King Street Station Advisors were filled, helping us shape arts policy and curate an exciting lineup of exhibitions for our Pioneer Square gallery.
We also made some important upgrades at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, investing in new state-of-the-art equipment in the space to improve the experience for both artists and audiences. Plus, we kept artists busy through our Hope Corps program, which continues to bring more vibrancy to our downtown and communities across the city.
A big part of our year was focused on strategic planning for the next five years. Staff spent time looking at how we can improve our internal systems, stay true to our values, and lay the groundwork for a citywide cultural plan. I’m excited to share more about this with you in the next couple of months.
Stabilization wasn’t just our focus internally—it was our key priority for the arts ecosystem too. We’re looking forward to announcing new investments in 2025, with programming designed to help organizations transform their work, support artists in activating downtown, and amplify BIPOC-led creative organizations. Stay tuned!
Gülgün Kayim
Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Director
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